The Morning Come
by Fae Lycan
Summary: "Tis night! Tis night! And the moon shines white over pine and snow capped hill. The shadows stray through burn and brae and dance in the sparkling rill. Tis night! Tis night! And the devil's light casts glimmering beams around. The maras dance, the nisses prance on the flower enameled ground. Tis night! Tis night! And the werewolf's might makes man and nature shiver..."


_Just…a little…closer…_

Fingers flexed around the lens, adjusting it just a bit to the right.

 _Almost…there we go!_

The shutter clicked audibly, breaking the silence in the cool afternoon light. The chipmunk's eyes blinked before darting off into the underbrush, its previous route soon forgotten.

She smiled lightly, pausing to let the camera rest against her breast to reach her arms up into a long, slow stretch before returning to her vigil. Exhaling shortly in slight exasperation, she couldn't help but wonder if she was going to see more than the obnoxiously cute rodents that seemed to amass themselves in little groups today.

This was an area known for rather…unique activity among the wolves, and she wanted nothing more than to try and capture them in their own habitat.

 _Bloody chipmunks…_

A quick glance heavenward indicated that it was probably about time to pack up her rather crude hiding spot and head back to the house, but she was nothing but determined to try and catch the elusive wolves that she so often heard about.

Whatever they were, they were certainly larger than your average wolf and there was no concrete proof to even help identify whether they were just a large cousin to the common grey wolf or something new entirely. This beast was crafty, that much was true. Aside from rather grisly scenes of blood and other matter in the woods around the full moon, there was nothing to really pinpoint that these wolves were even around.

Honestly, they could be right under her nose and she wouldn't even know it.

With the light fading, all those warnings that were repeated ad infinitum about not staying out after dusk were squashed rather far back into the back of her mind.

 _After all, it wasn't like it was completely dark yet. There's still plenty of time to get back._

A loud snuffling took her by surprise and she tensed trying to keep as still as possible. Inwardly she chastised herself for not having her camera at the ready as her hands were currently helping her stay still by clenching deep into the earth. A stick broke somewhere to her left with a loud crack.

Stealthily she raised one hand to grasp the body of the camera hanging around her neck before cautiously bringing the other up to its place around the lens.

The snuffling slid around behind her before stopping altogether.

Wincing as the underbrush beneath her feet rustled as she shifted in a slow circle, she only just got the camera up to eye level before being jumped by a large, wiggling, black and white ball of fur. The camera flashed as the dog tackled her to the ground and began to lick her face.

"Ooff! Sam!" She yelped while trying to push the dog's face away.

Only a couple seconds passed before she wrestled the dog off of her and attempted to calm the excited pup down.

"I hope you weren't getting into too much trouble you rascal." She said affectionately while mussing with Sam's ears. She was met by a few more doggy kisses in response. Chuckling lightly, and with one last pat, she hastened to get all of her equipment together. Night was beginning to fall and she knew that the light from the waning moon wasn't exactly going to keep everything well-lit.

While she was sure that this last ambush by Sam had certainly scared off whatever quarry she was after, she didn't really want to be caught walking in the dark.

Once everything was stowed away in its proper place, the trek back to the house began. Normally this was quite an easy walk, but with the growing nightfall it seemed much longer and, dare she say, ominous.

Dirt crunched beneath her boots and she absentmindedly brushed her hair off the back of her neck. She breathed in the night air as a slow smile stretched across her face. Sam lopped off ahead of her blissfully unaware of his surroundings as home came into view. It wasn't until camera and rucksack were safely stowed away into the jeep that she realized how still everything seemed at the moment. Come to think of it, it was rather quiet.

 _Sam._

Without a second thought she broke through the brush surrounding her home whistling and calling out to the dog. To her consternation and growing fear, there was no sound. No snuffling. No flurry of black and white charging at her. Stomach clenching, she pressed on further into the wooded area, ignoring that it was now quite late.

If not for the waning moon, she would have felt like she was part of some cliché scene in a horror movie. Those always had full moons, right? These deluding thoughts did nothing to ease the apprehension that was currently causing her nerves to tighten painfully. If anything, fear was coiling deeper and deeper within the pit of her stomach.

Her head whipped back and forth as she searched in vain for Sam, her movements becoming more and more frantic when there was no sign of her furry friend. She stumbled out into a clearing, pausing to catch her breath and make attempts to stop her heart from beating right out of her chest. Subconsciously she raised a hand to the base of her throat, her fingers pulsing lightly against her skin as if to help slow down the rapid beating coursing through her veins. A soft whimper, more like a pitiful whine, caused her head to whip up before turning to where the noise was originating.

"Sam?" She called out tentatively, voice slightly hoarse from the excursion through the wooded glen.

The moonlight fell upon a shadowy form amongst the overgrown flora, curled up so tightly she almost couldn't tell that it was even there. It was shivering rather violently, and she approached the form slowly, each footstep feeling like lead as it thudded against the soft ground. She started, a high pitched squeak hitching somewhere in her throat, the sound barely passing through her lips as the figure raised its head up suddenly. She was all too aware of the set of bright, sickly yellow eyes boring back into her own.

Sam had brown eyes.

The figure…animal…well, she wasn't even sure what it was, but she knew it was nothing like she had ever seen before, just continued to stare at her. The whimpering stopped, heavy breathing that sounded more like panting, striking through the air in staccato notes. A small movement fluttered to her right, her eyes moving to fall upon Sam; stupid, dumb, wonderful Sam. Poor Sam was shaking, trying to make himself as small as possible while looking towards her with his wide, beautiful brown eyes. It wasn't until she realized Sam was looking past her that she realized that the sharp panting had stopped altogether, and a barely noticeable growl was rumbling forth from the shadowed figure lying in front of her.

She stumbled back, struggling to keep her footing even as the animalistic growling grew louder ever so slightly. The form uncurled onto all fours, and part of her thought that she was looking at a Wulver, only this one certainly did not look friendly nor did it look like all it wanted to do was fish from Wulver's Stane. She almost laughed out loud at thinking about a silly fairy tale while she was very clearly in trouble. Before anything more could happen, the beast howled out in pain, and there was Sam clawing and biting at the strange creature's indiscernible face and neck.

It fell back crying out in pain, and for a moment she could have sworn that it sounded almost human. Snapping back from her thoughts, she turned, flailing about like a frightened child before willing her feet to run. She cried out as she watched the ground rushing towards her, air whooshing out of her lungs as she made impact. Claws pierced through the denim of her pants as fingers curled tighter about the bottom of her leg.

 _Wait, fingers?_

Fight or flight took over every single sense in her body and she started kicking about wildly before she felt her foot connect with something hard. The grip on her leg loosened as the beast howled in pain. Sam practically flew in a black and white streak away from the creature and out of the glen, and she wasn't too far behind him.

The pair crashed clumsily about the wood, surely scaring off any other creatures of the night before coming to a stop by a stream, pausing to see if they had been followed. Thankfully there was no hide or hair to be seen of the creature anomaly they had just encountered. Flopping down by the babbling water, she reached for Sam and hugged him close, sucking air into her lungs as she stroked her fingers through his furry coat to check for injuries as well as calm the dumb, brave dog down.

"Oh Sam, what am I going to do with you," she huffed out as she cuddled him closer, "this time you really did it; I'm just glad nothing worse happened."

All Sam did was nuzzle her cheek before hunkering down by her side as she continued to stroke the dog. Satisfied that she found no wounds, she set about taking care of her leg. She groaned as she took note of the damage done to her pants and proceeded to roll up the fabric to take a better look at what that…thing, did to her. The skin was already mottled an unsightly purple where the beast's fingers took hold, and thin, angry red lines where the claws had pierced into her flesh.

She cupped her hand, dipped it into the water and poured it over her wound before rubbing against her skin briskly trying to clean it. After doing this a couple times, she paused to take stock in the recent events and for her breathing to finally come back to normal. Sweat prickled about her neck, and fatigue rushed through her body as the adrenaline from earlier dwindled into nothing.

 _"_ _Tis night! Tis night! And the moon shines white over pine and snow capped hill. The shadows stray through burn and brae and dance in the sparkling rill."_

Her ears perked up as she looked about. If she didn't know any better, she would have thought the fae folk were playing tricks on her. Brushing aside the whispery words, she rolled her neck about to relieve the tension in her shoulders.

"Fae folk indeed." She scoffed. If she didn't watch herself, she would soon believe in all the legends of the Scots.

Words that were just a little louder than a whisper this time tickled her ear.

 _"_ _Tis night! Tis night! And the devil's light casts glimmering beams around. The maras dance, the nisses prance on the flower enameled ground."_

Narrowing her eyes, she glared about the wood. The moon was at its highest point in the sky, its light filling up every nook and cranny of the forest and causing the water to sparkle. In fact, the water never looked more enticing than it did at that moment.

 _"_ _Tis night! Tis night! And the werewolf's might makes man and nature shiver._ _  
_ _Yet its fierce grey head and stealthy tread are nought to thee, oh river!"_

She reached out a hand towards the water, her fingers breaking through the crystalline surface as she swirled her hand through the currents. Her face flushed with heat as her heart rate finally drummed at a normal pace, and she realized just how hot she was from her recent sprinting.

"River, River, River, oh water strong, that swirls along…" she whispered, the words falling from her lips, flowing through the air like the water in the stream. She didn't realize she was crying until she felt the hot tears running freely down her cheeks, and laughter choked her throat as she came to grips with her encounter with the unknown beast. Clutching her hands about her shoulders as if to offer some form of self comfort, she rocked back and forth before doubling over onto her knees, her forehead striking against the muddy shores once, twice, three times before stopping altogether. Ragged sobs escaped as Sam pressed against her, his rough tongue licking away her tears as they escaped in hopes of trying to offer his own type of comfort to her.

The sobs eventually slowed, and she sat up slowly, shaking her head to get rid of the fogginess that had crept in during her episode. She scrubbed at her eyes fiercely before moving towards the stream and dunking her head into the water to help clear it. She swallowed a mouthful of the wonderful liquid before pulling her head out the water. She relished in the cool water coursing down her throat and dripping down her face into her collar before dunking her head back into the stream. She let the water flow past as it calmed her nerves down a bit before taking another drink and settling back onto her knees.

Sam cocked his head to the side as he watched this seemingly mundane ritual, and as confused as the pup looked, he seemed to come to the decision that as long as his master was okay, then he could relax his guard.

Dunking her head back into the stream for a third time, she paused to drink in the heady flow a bit deeper before pulling back. Wringing the last of the water from her hair, she flopped back onto the ground allowing it to cradle her tired form.

Closing her eyes, she lay for what seemed like mere minutes before sitting up to see Sam gazing about the trees surrounding the area, his floppy ears twitching at every noise that filtered through the night sky. Looking up towards the moon, she noticed that the moon had dropped significantly in the sky. Her brow furrowed.

 _Hmm…must not have noticed how much time had passed due to all the excitement._

Putting the thought behind her, she drew her legs close in order to inspect her cuts for any rising infection. To her astonishment, there were no more lines marring the surface of her skin, and the bruises that had bloomed were no more. Had she imagined it all? Energy surged through her veins as her brain tried to rationalize everything that had transpired the last few hours.

Sam immediately went to her side as she rose up from her safe haven near the stream. He nudged his nose against her hand before bumping his head against it begging for his head to be scratched. She complied as her thoughts came to order before realizing that she and Sam were most likely hopelessly lost. Exhaling loudly, she turned about trying to get her bearings. She sniffed about the air noticing smells she couldn't recall before. She noticed colours in the waning moonlight that normally wouldn't be seen, but she chalked it up to her frazzled nerves and lack of sleep.

She patted the side of her thigh to let Sam know they were heading out to make the trek back towards to where she thought home was.

The path seemed to wind about more in this part of the woods, normally making navigation quite difficult. However, she seemed to have no problem, allowing instinct to take over as her brain was just too wired and mentally exhausted to do anything else but wander. The night began to wane, the sky fading from the navy blues and purples to dusty roses and pale oranges. As if by magic, the path opened up and the sight of the familiar jeep bolstered their strength and both practically ran the last few meters to the welcome surroundings of their home.

Practically bolting up the few steps of the porch to the front door with Sam at her heels, the sight of her neighbor seated on the wooden bench caused her to skid to a stop with a yelp. Poor Sam didn't account for the sudden change of speed and crashed into the back of her legs, and had she not had her hand on the doorframe for unexpected support, she most likely would have fallen into a rather ungraceful heap at her neighbor's feet.

"Long night?" they inquired, fiddling with the glasses perched upon their nose.

"Uh, yeah." She stammered trying to mentally calm down her heart that was trying to hammer out of her chest, "I mean, no! No, we just got back from a…a morning ramble through the woods nearby."

She could almost feel her neighbor's thoughts as they looked pointedly at her ruined pants before running their eyes up and down the rest of her ragged appearance. Fighting the urge to straighten her clothing and smooth down her hair, she raised her chin up ever so slightly as if to dare them to counter what was so obviously a lie. After a moment, they readjusted the glasses on their nose before getting up, brushing the nonexistent dirt off their lap, and peering back into her face.

"It'll get harder next month. Though to be fair, I think you'll have even better luck pushing off any….advances next time." Came the semi-cryptic warning.

"Excuse me, what do you mean by advances?" The very idea! She actually scoffed, not caring for the kindly, if somewhat pretentious, one's attempt at riddles. She was there to study that which was around her, the very nature of the forest itself. The thought that anyone or any…thing…would try to make a pass at her was just ludicrous.

"They didn't mean any harm last night. However, I did warn you that it was dangerous to go out at night." They looked pointedly at her as they spoke.

She froze. That was not possible. How did they know? The ground seemed to be sinking around her; everything was out of focus except for her neighbor's lips.

"Never understood your fascination with the comings and goings of the particular Canis lupus around here; perhaps maybe you will have a better understanding soon."

No.

" _I prithee a werewolf make me…"_

No.

"After all, we are all just one big family out here."

No!

"You'll find in time that everything will become easier."

"NO!" She screamed, pressing her arms against her side to control the shaking she was not aware that started during this whole interlude. The air seemed to rush past her ears, combining with the blood pumping within causing such a deafening roar that anything else the well meaning neighbor said after that was not heard. Her shoulders slumped in defeat, realizing just what exactly was happening to her by what wasn't being said. She wasn't sure when her neighbor left, but it didn't matter to her anymore.

This wasn't fair! Sure, she came out here because she wanted to become one with nature, to understand it more, to catalogue her findings, and fall off the face of the earth for awhile. Well, it looked like she was going to fall off the grid permanently. Gritting her teeth, she raised her head and looked towards the sun as it continued its climb, the dusty pinks and peaches of the sky having faded into a variety of blues, pastels, and colors she didn't even have names for. Sam rested against her leg as she allowed thoughts of pity, regret, and things she knew would come to pass to wash over her.

"Of all things dear, my soul, I swear, in death shall not forsake thee." She whispered before turning towards her home to begin the first day of the rest of her life.


End file.
